Teaching with cases, especially at universities where cases are not a regular part of the curriculum, poses challenges for both faculty and students. The results in this research present an effective and manageable method to introduce the case analysis process and to facilitate written case analysis for both students and faculty. Experiment 1 compares the effectiveness of a semistructured one-page written case analysis over a traditional case analysis and finds the shorter assignment results in shorter grading time and better student grades. A two-case method introducing the case analysis process is tested in Experiment 2 and finds that a short lecture introducing the case analysis method and an initial small group practice case further improves student grades. Theoretical reasoning and directions for future research are discussed.

Introduction. Choosing the correct person for the job can be a daunting task at any level but especially when selecting entry-level employees. In a seminal piece, Dubinsky, Howell, and Ingram (1986) investigated the idea of congruence between recruits' skills and the firm's demands. The results indicated that if the two are incongruent, the recruit's subsequent job performance may be less than adequate possibly influencing the employee to leave the firm. Replacing employees results in additional costs and use of resources that could be avoided if the incongruences in the recruitment process are resolved at the outset. Therefore, the recruitment process is a pivotal component of the firm's overall success. Weilbaker and Merritt (1992) examined the differences between the job attributes that recruiters thought were important and the aspects recruits thought were important. Results indicate significant differences between the importance ratings of recruits and recruiters indicating a need to bridge the gap between the two. Wiles and Spiro (2004) replicated the study and confirmed the misalignment remained. By improving the alignment of the attributes recruiters think are important with the attributes potential entry-level employees think are important, progress can be made to bridge the gap between the two (p. 49).